While it's unclear when Conor McGregor will make his return to the Octagon, he remains firmly established as the most popular and marketable fighter with ties to the UFC.

Today McGregor was announced as the cover athlete for the upcoming "EA Sports UFC 3" video game, marking the second time he adorns the cover. He was also featured on "EA Sports UFC 2" but shared the spotlight with Ronda Rousey.

The influence of McGregor goes well beyond just his appearance on the cover. Career Mode in "UFC 3" will place a great deal of importance on rivalries and fight promotions, areas in which McGregor has excelled at in creating hype for his fights and building his personal brand.

Other features for "UFC 3" include new animation technology, new damage system, authentic fighter styles, and the return of an Ultimate Team mode but this time utilizing real fighters.

EA Sports continues to try and spin the collector's editions of their games as providing three days "early access" when in reality they are instead punishing those who don't pay the extra money by making them wait three days to get their copy of the game.

The "Champion's Edition" will release on Jan. 30 for $80 and it includes additional content for the game's Ultimate Team mode. The standard $60 edition of the game will follow by releasing on Feb. 2.

Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is co-founder of the sports gaming site HitThePass.com, hosts the "Press Row Podcast" and can be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.